Mahomes, Chris Jones signings are testimony to vital role of Chiefs GM Brett Veach
Long ago and far away when the Chiefs turned to coach Andy Reid and his choice of general manager, John Dorsey, to resurrect a franchise in distress, a fellow named Brett Veach was a young Reid protege brought along from Philadelphia to scant public notice.
The man got his incognito start in the NFL as an Eagles intern. Two years later, he inauspiciously became Reid’s coaching assistant. And soon after Reid took over here in 2013, Veach was introduced inconspicuously in a news release among eight other front-office men as the pro and college personnel analyst who “enters his first season as a member of the Chiefs player personnel department in 2013 and his fourth as an NFL scout.”
So to all but the most zealous fans and media, Veach was virtually anonymous before he suddenly was thrust into the spotlight in 2017 as the potential replacement for the abruptly deposed Dorsey amid Dorsey’s troubles with management of the salary cap.
Even when Veach got the job, those who didn’t know him or the dynamics of his relationship with Reid, and how Reid thinks, were skeptical of the arrangement.
It was widely wondered if he would simply be a rubber stamp.
Three years later, it’s abundantly evident any such thinking was insulting to Reid’s fundamental integrity as a leader and a profound misreading of Veach’s remarkable skill-set.
From evaluating talent, most notably seeing in Patrick Mahomes what few others understood, to identifying fits for the team (see: Tyrann Mathieu) …
From cultivating trust with agents and players to a fascinating combination of fiscal responsibility and imagination …
Veach and his staff have been a pivotal, even essential, part of elevating the Chiefs from a perennial playoff team in the Reid era to the one that won the organization’s first Super Bowl in 50 years and is poised for more with the robust financial commitment of owner Clark Hunt.
Particularly after what Veach has orchestrated in the last week.
Only days after securing a landmark 10-year, $500 million contract extension with Mahomes that was structured to enable the Chiefs to retain flexibility now, the Chiefs and star defensive tackle and locker room linchpin Chris Jones agreed to a four-year deal worth $85 million that includes $60 million in guarantees.
As he sat at a podium after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally to beat the San Francisco 49ers, Jones proclaimed, “I want to be a Chief for life,” and added that one Super Bowl wasn’t enough:
“Two, three, four,” he said, smacking his hand on a table for emphasis. “We’ve got to build a dynasty here. You know what I’m saying?”
Or as he put it on Twitter on Tuesday: “Let’s gooooo!!!! The Dynasty Continues.... #RunitBack #Sacknation.”
First things first, of course. Becoming the first team to win back to back since the 2003-04 Patriots is the immediate goal, and there are any number of reasons that will be hard to do.
But between engineering these long-term contractual feats and the fact that the Chiefs will have 20 of 22 starters back from a young nucleus, and seem to have enhanced their roster with a draft class led by LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Mississippi State linebacker Willie Gay, it’s been about as harmonious and prosperous an offseason as any team could hope for despite the pandemic.
Especially for a team that knows it has all the components in place to win another Super Bowl, including rare continuity in the coaching staff of a champion as training camps are tentatively scheduled to open next week.
If there were such a thing as NFL Offseason Executive of the Year, Veach certainly would be deserving.
Assuming the 2020 season is played, chances are he’ll be recognized officially at season’s end, too.
Following up an offseason in which he overhauled a defense with bold moves, such as signing Mathieu and Frank Clark, his encore performance gives the Chiefs a chance to be a force for years to come … and is further testament to the enterprising work the 41-year-old Veach is capable of continuing to do.
Of course, because of the surging coronavirus pandemic, it’s hard to know if there will be a full season … or any season at all.
But whatever the variables are this season, another Chiefs advantage lies in the nimble adaptability of Reid … and his relationship with Veach.
Reid’s willingness to relent and adjust also speaks specifically to the emergence of Veach.
When Reid coached the Eagles from 1999-2012, he also was the de facto general manager for about five years.
As he reset his career in coming to Kansas City, he knew he wanted to focus more on coaching and get away from personnel and contract issues (even if he likely has more voice in some personnel decisions than he lets on).
Ultimately, it suited Reid better to work with Veach than Dorsey.
Not to be a rubber stamp but to assert a more disciplined approach to the work, and apply what Reid calls people skills and energy that’s second to none.
Along with the discerning eye and persistence that led Veach to push for Mahomes in his previous capacity as co-director of player personnel.
“The thing about Andy is, when you really get to know him, he’s not a control freak and he’s not power hungry,” Veach said soon after taking the job. “He surrounds himself with guys who work hard and guys who challenge him. He likes people … who come to him with outside-the-box thinking because it elevates his game.”
Including Veach himself. In short order, he has sprung from an unfamiliar behind-the-scenes force to obviously vital in an equation that strongly suggests more potential glory ahead in the near future.